Goals easier to achieve with striker's help

Richard Winton
Assistant Sports Editor

Sheridan shows signs of growth as he fills integral role at Kilmarnock

IT might have been lost amid his dismay but John McGlynn offered a salient observation as he attempted to grasp the reasons for Hearts defeat. His contention, as a newcomer to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, was that whichever team scores first tends to win matches. Being ahead enables a side to sit in, he said, so they can exploit the space left by their opponents in their attempts to restore parity.

The logical conclusion of that is that those teams with a reliable source of goals reap the rewards. Take those who did well last term: Motherwell had Michael Higdon, Dundee United had Jon Daly and St Johnstone had Francisco Sandaza, each of whom scored at least 14 times in the league. Similarly, the season before, Conor Sammon's 15 goals earned him a move to Wigan Athletic and ensured that the Rugby Park side finished fifth. Ergo, find a goalscorer and you will thrive.

In tandem with Sandaza last year was Cillian Sheridan. The Irishman, recruited on loan from CSKA Sofia, was a fine foil but could only muster four goals of his own, and none at all in his final 18 league games. Few thought him the kind of finisher who would dictate the success of a campaign but Kenny Shiels saw something that persuaded him otherwise.

The Kilmarnock manager attempted to sign Sheridan before his switch to Perth and tried again in the summer, having convinced the player's agent that a move to Ayrshire was the right one. His pitch proved profitable and the dividend has been immediate, a splendid hat trick against Hearts on Saturday taking the striker's tally to four in his first three outings.

The key is whether Sheridan can maintain that kind of form but his performance at Tynecastle exhibited all the attributes to suggest he might. While still raw, there seems more refinement about his game than even last season; his runs are more astute, his positional play more intelligent and his finishing more composed. In fact, the display brought back memories for Manuel Pascali. "He reminds me a bit of Connor Sammon because he is big, strong, has pace and can finish," said the Kilmarnock captain.

Sammon, of course, had the fortune to play in the same side as Alexei Eremenko, but although the players assisting Sheridan are perhaps not as feted, Shiels has assembled an intriguing group. Kilmarnock were without Cammy Bell, Garry Hay, Jeroen Tesselaar and Paul Heffernan but were still able to field an XI full of experience, one able to withstand a barrage of pressure yet still have the composure to counter. Kyle Letheren was an able deputy for Bell, Michael Nelson and Ryan O'Leary were robust bulwarks of a back four protected by Pascali and Liam Kelly, Danny Racchi a diligent defensive winger and Gary Harkins and James Dayton creative sparks.

With a fair wind, there is no reason why they cannot enjoy a rich campaign. "I have the feeling we are hard to beat," said Pascali. "Maybe next week we will lose 5-0 and I will be killed by those words but I have the sensation that we are better in that respect this season. If we work hard then we can achieve something important."

Hearts, too, have the potential to make this a campaign to cherish but they will have to endure more frustrating days like Saturday. Their inexperience in some areas will lead to inconsistency, while a deficit of attacking options means that there will be times when they dominate but fail to breach defences.

Callum Paterson was again deployed as a central attacker and, although the 17-year-old is a exciting talent – his touch, movement, strength and pace caught the eye – he lacks the consistent assurance of a more accomplished finisher, as evidenced in his spurning of four openings on Saturday. "We'll just keep giving him confidence and the goals will come," said McGlynn, words redolent of those spoken about Sheridan last term.

Taken from the Herald